Nest Co-Founder Matt Rogers Demos The Nest Learning Thermostat; Talks About His Time At Apple

Matt Rogers is the Co-founder of Nest, a company that is attempting to make thermostats sexy for the purpose of helping people saving energy. Nest has taken more than a few cues from Apple in releasing a round, wheel controlled thermostat focused on the devices’ display. As it turns out Matt Rogers was an developer for the clickwheel iPods as well as an engineer for the original iPhone (and some of its wackier wheel-based prototypes). Nest has recently announced an updated version of the Nest Learning Thermostat, and Kevin Rose interviewed Rogers with TechCrunch about Nest’s design history and Rogers’ past at Apple.

Nest version 2 features a new, sleeker design.

Where the original Nest’s chassis was made of steel and plastic, Nest 2.0’s chassis is a single band of steel. As mentioned before, Nest has no buttons, just a wheel that can be pushed down to access Nest’s basic functions. Unlike programmable thermostats that we’ve never bothered to figure out, Nest learns your schedule and preferences automatically. The new version of Nest will apparently be compatible with 95% of heating and cooling systems in the US and Canada, up from the original versions’s 75%.

While Nest is a smart thermostat, you might want to have a bit more control over your heating. If you’re going to be inviting people over early or going on vacation, you can control Nest remotely through its smart phone and tablet apps, or through the web.

Nest’s wall bracket even makes installation simple.

If you want to know about Nest’s design history, of if you’re not interested in thermostats but you want to hear about Roger’s history with Apple, watch the interview between Matt Rogers and Kevin Rose. The new version of the Nest Learning Thermostat will be available this month and is expected to cost $249. You’ll be able to find this thermostat in Apple’s online store.

Do you need an iPod to control your furnace and central air? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.